WHY CHOOSE US?
VISION
Brett is able to bring his creations to life and allow the sculpture or memorial to tell its own story by fully understanding the essence of what his clients are imagining.
RESPECT
Sculptures and memorials are handled with respect, care and with a deep understanding of how precious they are to our clients.
REPUTATION
If you are considering a sculpture or memorial but still not sure if we are the people for you, read what our clients have had to say.
You may like to consider some aspects of commissioning a piece first
See our general information about sculptures or more specific information for a memorial.
You can view our 'making of series' to see how sculptures are made.
General information about Sculptures
We have provided some information to help you with your decision.
Price
There are 2 major elements to the cost of a sculpture (price for memorials may differ, see below).
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The price depends on the combination of complexity of design and the size.
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Delivery of the completed sculpture to your destination.
For those that don’t have man power available there may be a cost to install.
Design
Brett can create a design in consultation with you. You may have seen something elsewhere that you would like Brett to try and create. Or you may have your own artist in the family and want to use their design. Brett is perfectly comfortable with you being a part of the design process if you want to be.
Size
Be conscious of any height restrictions before requesting a large sculpture.
The stone is very heavy so how you intend to deliver it to its new home needs to be considered before requesting a large sculpture.
Delivery
We use Mainfreight, and they will deliver it to your door. The sculpture is packed and strapped to a pallet that Mainfreight collects and transports. If the destination is rural or “out of the way” the cost can be higher, so it may be cheaper to collect from their nearest depot.
We can obtain a quote for you if that is preferrable.
Time
Talk to us about timing and how long your sculpture could take to create.
Durability
The durability of limestone is often questioned because it isn’t a “hard stone” like marble or granite. The reality is that many old buildings down south are constructed from limestone and still stand today, as are the pyramids in Egypt, so the short answer is that the stone lasts a very long time.
In addition all sculptures are sealed with a water repellent that adds to the look and longevity. It’s a very simple process and it is recommended that every few years it is resealed, to which you will be given instructions on how that is done.
I love the edges that catch the sun and create shadows that dance across the surface of the stone.
Brett Keno
Specific information for Memorials
When burdened with the task of researching who, and what’s available for a loved one, it can be overwhelming. We have provided some information to help you with your decision.
Destination
Is the memorial destined for an Urupa or a public cemetery? Some public cemeteries have reservations about the use of Limestone for memorials so you will need to check with them first. Also check out any other restrictions they might have such as height.
Price
There are 3 major elements to the cost of a memorial.
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The memorial price depends on the combination of complexity of design and the size.
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Delivering the completed memorial to your destination.
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The Plaque.
For those that don’t have man power available there may be a cost to install.
Design
Brett can create a design for you, or you may like the look of something that you have seen here on our website. You may have seen something elsewhere that you would like Brett to try and create. Or you may have your own artist in the family and want to use their design. Brett is perfectly comfortable with you being a part of the design process if you want to be.
Size
Be conscious of any height restrictions before requesting a large memorial and be conscious of neighbouring memorials.
The stone is very heavy so how you intend to deliver it to the site needs to be considered before requesting a large memorial.
The average height of the memorials we create is 1 metre tall. The tallest stood at 1.4 metres tall. The shortest was 40 cm tall with the plaque out the front.
Delivery
Some whanau like to pick up the headstone from me in Wellington, but most prefer to have it delivered.
We use Mainfreight, and they will deliver it to your door. The memorial is packed and strapped to a pallet that Mainfreight collects and transports. If the destination is rural or “out of the way” the cost can be higher, so it may be cheaper to collect from their nearest depot.
We can obtain a quote for you if that is preferrable.
Plaques
You have the option of organising your own plaque, or we can assist you. Either way the plaque is delivered to us and it is embedded into the memorial before delivering it to you.
We don’t get as many requests for granite plaques anymore but they can be sourced if that’s your preference.
Granite is the typical hard stone you see in cemeteries and urupa. It is usually black in colour. Words are sandblasted on so you are paying by the letter. Other designs can also be sandblasted on and colour added by way of paint. Photos are separate in ceramic and affixed to the memorial.
Most of our requests are for industrialised ceramic plaques. The organisation that we work closely with is Permanite (www.permanite.net). It is a very durable product and you can add anything you can think of…..colour, words, design, background, photos etc. We pass on your wish list and Permanite produce a mock-up for your consideration and feedback.
We have occasionally requested specially shaped plaques to flow with Bretts memorial designs and Permanite have always been agreeable.
Time
Assuming the design has been decided and the plaque is underway, we usually order the stone about two months before delivery is required (that allows for any drying time if it arrives wet). The memorial itself usually takes 10 days to two weeks to complete.
Brett usually has a few sculptures or memorials he is working on so “last minute” requests can be challenging, but don’t hesitate to ask the question.